i get by with a little help from my friends (and strangers)

i had a helluva trip this past weekend.  it was the first Pride festival of the season – Motorcity, located in beautiful Ferndale, MI.  i’d been busting my gluteus maximus for weeks trying to get everything ready; t-shirts, bags, posters, fliers, business cards, website, photos, e-mail, recruits, displays, vehicles, hotels … you get the idea (maybe).  i stayed up until after dawn all week working on the finishing touches, sacrificing sleep and my social life in order to attempt to get everything done on time.  of course, it didn’t all get done, but i did my best to let it go and accept the fact that, amazing as i am, my superpowers have their limits.

finally, saturday arrived.  i spent the majority of the day running around like a crazy person – going to the printer, the baker, the candlestick maker.  i had picked the el camino up from the mechanic the day before and she was packed and ready to go.  i hit the road around seven o’clock, two hours after i wanted to, but well, stuff happens.  it took an hour to make the final stops on the way out of town, meaning that i wouldn’t arrive in detroit until after eleven o’clock.  oh well, that’s plenty of time to get some rest.  or so i thought.

on my way out of town, i pulled over to set up the music player on my new phone to get me through the trip.  i turned the engine off as i made the necessary adjustments, and then fired her back up.  well, i attempted to fire her back up.  she sputtered a couple of times (which is normal for her, she’s a little cranky sometimes) then started to catch.  what happened next can only be explained by demonic possession.  this horrible buzzing/whirring/attack-of-the-killer-bees-sounding noise started emanating from the dashboard, right behind the instrument cluster.  freaked out, i pulled the keys out of the ignition.  the noise continued.  it also continued to fire, revving the engine, sputtering out, revving again.  um… that’s no good.

i turned the key a few times, finally getting the noise to cease and desist.  jumping out into the rainstorm, i popped the hood to see if i could tell what the hell just happened.  not seeing anything amiss (like i would know), i sent up a prayer to the heavens, begging to just get to the festival in one piece.  i couldn’t imagine what i would do if i didn’t make it there…

crossing myself, i headed to lansing to pick up my helper for the weekend.  i had to remind myself that this stuff happens every year and every year everything turns out fine, this year would be no exception.  or so i thought.

just outside of lansing, i stopped at a rest area to change into dry clothes.  i cursed myself for only bringing one pair of shoes, i usually have at least three or four on hand, but no, i wanted to pack light.  that was smart.

refreshing myself on the directions, i got back on the highway.  not ten miles later, i glanced at the thermostat.  it was buried in the red.  oh, god, no.

please, please, please, let me get to the gas station at the next exit.  please, please, please, don’t blow up.  please, please, please, don’t do this now.  please, please, please …

by the time i got to the BP station off of w. saginaw hwy, the engine was so hot that the rain sizzled as it hit the hood.  a huge billow of smoke poured out of every nook and cranny as soon as i pulled to a stop.  $#%!

i popped the hood and stepped out into the sheeting rain.  there was so much steam, i could barely see where it was all coming from.  $#%!

grabbing the essentials from the front seat, i wrapped my phone in a beach towel that i had fortuitously borrowed from a friend.  i trudged across the parking lot to the Steak-n-Shake that was beckoning in the distance.  by the time i arrived, i looked like i had just stepped out of the shower fully clothed.

taking pity on me, the waitress brought a steaming cup of hot chocolate and a sympathetic ear.  i promptly called my insurance agency to find out the full extent of my roadside assistance coverage.  while they would reimburse for a tow, they couldn’t help me find a service station or rental agency that was still open at ten o’clock on a saturday night.  fantastic.

as i was scrambling around, trying to figure out what to do next, a slightly grizzled gentleman approached me to find out what happened.  when i told him about the car trouble, he offered to take a look and see what he could do.  after all, he owned a paint and body shop right down the road.

i took a seat at the table across from the helpful stranger and his wife.  as we spoke, i explained about the work that i do, the shirts i design, the importance of this weekend to the future of my business, the seeming hopelessness of my situation.   we spoke of goodness, kindness and the importance of looking out for your fellow man.  we discussed spirituality, compassion and the importance of faith.   then he asked me what type of festival i was attending.

taking a deep breath, i reminded myself of the importance of being true to myself, no matter what i may fear might happen.  chastising myself for judging this kind stranger, i told him that i was attending a gay pride festival.

there was a slight pause, a beat of silent tension.

then he broke out into a smile, laughing heartily.  ‘oh, you mean the one over in detroit?  my niece is going there tomorrow.  she can probably get you there.’

i think my jaw dropped a little.  catching it on the way down, i couldn’t believe my strange luck.  ‘are you sure?  it’s an awful inconvenience.  my el camino is full to the brim with merchandise and i have to get there tonight so that i can be in time for set-up in the morning.’

‘she’s got a jeep, it’ll fit just fine.  i’m sure she wouldn’t mind going early.  i’ll give her dad a call.’

before i knew it, i was surrounded by a crowd of good samaritans standing in the freezing rain-filled night debating the best way to a) get me to the festival in time to set up, b) get my car to the shop, c) get her fixed by the time i got back and d) get me back, all in one piece.

it took us a couple of hours to figure out the best solution considering the fact that all rental agencies were closed (except for the ones in Detroit, ha!), most didn’t open until at least ten am on Sundays (if at all), my stuff wouldn’t fit into anyone’s car but my own (unless we took two), i had just met these people two hours prior and the only thing we had in common was that i, too, was a little bit queer.

in the end, the lesbians took me out to the local lesbian bar, the nice stranger took my car back to his shop, and my superhero of a mother drove down to rescue me in her mountaineer in the middle of the night.  we finally arrived at detroit at 7:30 am and left the hotel to set-up at 9:30, meaning i had just enough time to shower and close my eyes for five seconds before starting a thirteen hour workday but hey, i made it through with a lot of coffee, a good bit of faith and a little help from my brand new friends…